THE NALP EXPERIENCE The Show Must Go On:
NCLC Marks 45th Anniversary
By Jill Odom
THE 2021 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE LANDSCAPE COMPETITION (NCLC) marked the 45th year of the event and was the second year it was held virtually due to the pandemic. Held from March 15-19, this year’s NCLC offered 22 student workshops and 21 individual challenges adapted from the traditional 30 competitions held in-person. These challenges were honor-based and were scored individually, not rolling up to a team score. Scores are available online for students to see how they performed compared to others.
Over 1,000 total attendees participat- ed in the event including 600 students from 40 schools and 347 industry professionals. NCLC, the student workshops and individual challenges were all made possible thanks to 19 major partners in- cluding STIHL, John Deere, Caterpillar, Gravely, Hunter/FX Luminaire, Husqvar- na and many more. Also, during NCLC, the NALP
Shasta College in Red- ding, California, won this year’s Team Spirit Photo Contest. They recieved a $1,000 check from John Deere. Photo: Leimone Waite
Foundation funded and awarded 80 scholarships for a total of $111,635 this year. Johnathan Hampton, a junior hor- ticulture major with a focus in pre-land- scape architecture at Auburn University, won the President’s Scholarship, which is the largest scholarship received worth $3,000. While points from individual challeng- es didn’t roll up to a team score this year, students could earn points for their team by participating in at least three interviews at the career fair, viewing at least three workshop presentations or viewing at least three partner pages. The winning schools received a custom NCLC-branded YETI Rambler bottle for each student and a $500 STIHL Equipment Certificate for the school/program.
North Dakota State University won the category of a team with less than 10 students. Auburn University won for the category of a team with 10-24 stu- dents. Mississippi State University won the category for 25 students or more. For many of the students participating in this year’s NCLC, it was their first
14 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2021 time attending.
“I have participated in many confer- ences and career fairs both as a student and professionally,” says Courtney Arnold, a junior horticulture, counseling and business major at Auburn Univer- sity. “I am impressed with how orga- nized, user-friendly, and fun NCLC is virtually! The Juno platform is amazing and NALP took the experience to new heights!”
Hampton was unable to compete last year and wanted to still participate in the event in some form. “Even though COVID-19 has dras-
tically changed NCLC’s dynamics, I recognize that there are still many great opportunities to network and to just have fun,” Hampton says. “It is exciting to meet so many people with a similar passion for the outdoors all gathered in one place, and to me that makes partici- pating even more worth it.” Aiko Yamada, a junior botany major at
Cal Poly Pomona, says she has been in- terested in participating in NCLC since she was a freshman.
“I’ve never had the time to attend weekly NCLC meetings on campus but now that everything is virtual, meeting
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